


The Reformation of the Alternian Empire

by TheseStarsBurnCold



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Adult Trolls Live On Alternia (Homestuck), Alien Mythology/Religion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Alternia-Focused, Alternian Revolution, F/F, F/M, Human/Troll Relationship, M/M, Not all adult trolls live on Alternia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, classpect powers, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-06-20 07:08:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15528894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseStarsBurnCold/pseuds/TheseStarsBurnCold
Summary: Karkat gets wrigglernapped by a cult and is sacrificed to a being who is probably going to end up being some kind of eldritch horror.What happens next is not something anyone but said 'eldritch horror' expects.





	1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 01

Karkat, if anyone asked, wouldn’t know what to call this current chapter of his life. As it stood now, he was tempted to go with something like ‘In Which The Mutant Blood Protagonist Gets Wriggler-napped By Crazy People In Robes’ or ‘In Which The Troll Gets Sacrificed To Some Ancient Horror That May Or May Not Actually Exist’. He also wasn’t sure if the crazed cultists were lying to him, though he had the sneaking suspicion that they were.

After all, they’d managed to find out about his blood color and hadn’t culled him on the spot.

Maybe a recap is in order.

Karkat didn’t venture outside of his hive very much. When he did, it was always under cloak and toeing that thin time frame between night and day, when most other trolls would be rushing back to their hives or more sensibly, already safely tucked away in them. He did this on a not quite one a wipe basis, and only did so when he couldn’t order what he needed from his husktop.

More recently, since his custodian, his lusus, had died and he was approaching adulthood, he was keeping his outings to the bare minimum that he could afford. The lowblood allowance that he was given wasn’t always enough to feed himself and obtain other basic necessities, so he took some tips and lessons from his cohort and set to work. Most of what need needed now were hygiene products, which Eridan was surprisingly helpful and generous in providing, and the materials for clothes if no just clothes already made which Kanaya was more than happy to help him with. This at first came to him with protests on his part, wondering why they would do this for him. It wasn’t like he had anything to pay them back with or the quadrant connection to either of them that would make such a thing worth it. It also wasn’t worth it, he argued, when no one knew when he’d die or if he’d be caught at some point and culled for existing. Aradia had already gone through her adult molt with Tavros and Sollux following close behind her. He, however, was barely seeing his eye color change if it wasn’t just a mix of paranoia and lighting.

He was a freak who probably wouldn’t even molt, for all anyone knew. Eridan and Vriska were looking for any trace of his Ancestor but in all seriousness they haven’t found much of anything and they probably won’t find anything more than that.

Knowing your Ancestor’s title, after all, wasn’t all that special when there were meticulous record keepers for that sort of thing.

Feferi had hopped on the Help Karkat polyscuttletrail and sent him more supplies to help him hide his blood color than he’d ever dream of needing, after he first made mention of it.

Needless to say he was getting a lot more aid and care about his continued health and well being than most cohorts ever gave each other, sans when moirallegiance was involved and that was only with a single other troll.

It was on one of his outings, off to get some personal care products that Eridan hadn’t sent his way and maybe splurge a little on something nice for himself, when he was cornered and blindfolded. He saw maybe one troll’s eye color, a shade that was halfway between grey and blue, and another’s horns before his pan had properly registered what had happened.

“Hey!” He tried biting out, all of a sudden very aware of how much force he was using to try and free himself from one troll’s grip as well as whether anything about his color might be showing, “Get off- Let me go-!” Yet his demands fell on unhearing auditory canals. Noting this while being prodded and shoved into a personal scuttlecraft, he then demanded to know where he was being taken and what they wanted with him.

Neither of these two questions were answered.

Left to stew in his frustration and plot his escape, he growled all of twice that his cohort would find out, or that his quadrants, nonexistent as they were, would find out that he was missing and search for him. They’d notice when he didn’t appear online on Trollian, look into it, and they’d find him and these weirdos and get him out of whatever situation he was about to be dragged ass backwards into. If he didn’t get out of it himself that is. If he wasn’t culled or otherwise a deceased corpse by then. If he was right and more than just a few of them cared enough about his bony, too thin, shouting and ranting ass to do all of that.

Even when they’d gone through all that trouble to hide his mutation and get him basic necessities he still couldn’t bring himself to be absolutely certain of what he was saying. He didn’t think it was a stretch to believe that the trolls around him could sense that.

It was what felt like a long time before they stopped and Karkat was pushed out of the craft. All he did was avoid his displeasure at being manhandled, since his hands by now were tied behind his back and he did not want an injury.

Too bad that seemed to be on the agenda for him this not so fine morning.

He was guided into a hive or block of some sort, and made to kneel at a certain point. They’d been very clear and very precise in how far he walked and how far he took certain steps. All so that he wouldn’t ruin something or other. The bindings around his wrists were still in place and so was the blindfold, so he couldn’t see a damn thing.

He found he hadn’t needed to, when something sharp pressed into his skin of his cheeks, just under both eyes. He hissed where other trolls gasped in shock or made a noise of disgust. Yet the sharp object being used didn’t come down upon his head, or his chest, or neck, or anywhere else that might land a fatal blow.

Another cut, this one along his forehead, as chanting rose up. With each ending to a sentence, or verse, he couldn’t tell, another one was made. One on each shoulder, one on each palm, yet they did nothing more. They hadn’t culled him like he thought they would. At least not yet.

“He who brings to the world death, destruction, endings and time. He who makes the clockwork of death chime at the point where he guides the spirits and souls of the dead to the arms of the maiden of the after world. We ask that you find your way into this place to this offering that we have provided for you...”

Karkat felt a whine building up in his protein chute before he clamped down on it, picking up some kind of pressure that was building up around him. It was like watching a balloon being filled with air and anticipating if and when it would explode. It was a thing that made the blood on his face sizzle with heat that for some reason didn’t hurt.

His knees were starting to hurt after a while of the pressure and heat, like a warm blanket, ebbing and flowing in time with the chanting trolls around him. It got to the point where it was hard to think, chasing that sensation and not noticing when he’d slumped over or when the voices faded into an anticipating silence.

The mutant felt his ears pop and everything seemed to clear as if he’d been a puppet on strings. Only now the strings were cut and he’d fallen over onto his side. The wounds on the cheek and shoulder that now had contact with the floor stung, not that the other ones didn’t, but that was more due to them being exposed to the open air if he had to take a guess.

There was a hand in his hair now, brushing strands back away from his face before moving on. There was someone breathing right next to his ear and yet his throat had closed up and his body refused to respond. The hands reached his wrists and at a touch, the binding came undone. Instead of feeling strands of rope at his feet, there was dust. Karkat tried moving now and found that he could, hauling himself up to sit on his knees like he’d been earlier. The hands of the troll that he couldn’t see were soft, clawless fingers brushing over the cuts on his face and shoulders.

“Who-” He was cut off by a cough, “Who are you?” His voice was rough and scratchy as he held his hands gingerly. He could tell something was happening to his other cuts by the aching in his face and shoulders, so flinched back when the hands that rested on his arms moved again to his hands.

Stupid fucking blindfold.

“Who are you?” He tried again as those hands held on and a tingling sensation rushed through his own.

“Someone who wants to help you.” A whisper answered him back. Something soft touched his forehead, but before he could make sense of that, whoever this was turned their attention on the psychos.

“So.” He, you thought the voice sounded like a guy, “Who was it that injured him? And who’s idea was it to go after him and use him to summon me in the first place?”

Two footsteps followed his questions. Karkat tried getting his hands free, to rip the cloth over his eyes off of his head, but guy tugged him forward instead and the mutant troll found himself sitting on something and facing the other way.

“Ah. You’re the leader then?” A pause, “And you were behind all of this. Alright. Here’s what’s going to happen. Whatever deal you think you’re going to be making with me? Forget it.”

“My Lord, we-”

“I don’t want to hear it, purple blood. Here’s what’s going to happen. The only deal I will be making today will be with Karkat,” Karkat hadn’t told him his name, but being some kind of spirit or inter-dimensional horror, he supposed it could’ve been plucked from his head without him being aware of it, “And you? And this cult you’ve gathered around yourself? You’re going to listen to him. Do whatever he tells you to from now on, do you understand me?” Another pause, “Good. I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”

Karkat leaned his head back, trying to at least make it look like he was looking at, or better yet glaring at the being who was holding him, “Why do you think I’m going to make any sort of deal with you?”

A chuckle from just above him, something that he could feel in his back, “It doesn’t need to be anything high stakes, super important, or long term.

“Then why make a deal at all? Aren’t you some crazy powerful being? Something involving death?”

A breath ruffled his hair, “It could be as simple as me takin’ that blindfold off ya for a piece of candy and I’d take it.”

Karkat huffed, taking a moment to think.

“What would you consider even payment for an explanation as to what the fuck is going on?”

“How about a kiss from the pretty princess I just saved?”

Karkat was struck dumb, opening his mouth multiple times to give a reply before rethinking what he wanted to say and having it close with an almost audible click. He tugged a little at his arms which were quickly released so he could finally rip the damned blindfold off of him. He almost didn’t feel his injuries anymore, which was good, but also curious in how this being healed them. Back to the subject at hand however, said being just asked him, of all trolls, for a kiss. Never mind that he’d been called a pretty princess, which he would have gotten angry about and ranted on in any other situation.

He twisted around, noticing perhaps for the first time since all this started that the cult people surrounding them both were watching. They were watching and that instantly made him self conscious enough that he had to stamp down hard on the blush he knew wanted to rise up to his face. The guy, the god or spirit or whatever he was, whose name he didn’t know, was an awe inspiring sight, now that he could actually see him.

His skin was like liquid gold that was being processed and purified by fire. Gears churned, some exposed, some internal, some halfway like the ones around his shoulders and hips. His eyes looked as if it were holding within it the exact kind of raging fire intense enough that it very well could turn gold from a solid to a liquefied state. He had a halo formed out of a gear, split into two halves that rotated lazily above his head. His hair was like the dying embers of a hearth fire, strands glowing like hot wires. His hands and face were the only things that looked remotely troll-like, like gold tinted skin. Lava poured out of some of the more exposed parts with the gears jutting out, trickling down his arms and thorax like raindrops on a windowpane, adding to the light and the 'extremely hot metal, do not touch', appearance.

Every breath was in tune with the exposed gears turning and was accompanied by lava. Every breath came out visible like steam.

He wasn’t smiling, if he’d ever been, or was even capable of it.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it you don’t actually have to, I mean I won’t push we can figure something else out, you know how it goes, don’t want the prince to be mad at you because you did a lousy job of returning the princess even though the princess had no interest in him whatsoever and very likely ran away. Man who would even be the dragon in this situat-”

Oh what the hell. It wasn’t like he’d ever get the chance to kiss an inter-dimensional being ever again, so he went for it and cut the guy off mid sentence.

Surprising fact number one, his lips weren’t burnt to a crisp.

Surprising fact number two, Karkat didn’t want to pull away and found the position he was in right now, in this guy’s lap, to be very comfortable. Somehow. With what looked like heated metal for skin and you know what let’s not think about that too hard.

Surprising fact number the third, it felt right. It felt like coming back to his hive on a cold morning with his lusus at his side, immediately jumping into action once they got through the door to help him heat the entertainment and meal blocks, get blankets in the clothes drying machine to warm those up, while he went about putting food and other supplies away. It was like getting into the good parts of his favorite romance novels. It just was warm and maybe he wasn’t thinking straight but right now he didn’t care.

 

 

Dave, for his part, was in heaven right about now. Not like the afterlife where Aradia’s domain primarily was and he was being the substitute teacher for. Not like the proverbial Olympus where he and the other gods chilled and gathered for immortal family dinner once a month, where John pretty much ruled from and lived in. No, he was in that state of mind that told him everything was right again in the world, nothing to be worried about, hakuna mat fucking tata, bitches.

He was physically in the mortal realm for the first time in centuries. He was here because of Karkat, even though the quick flip through the troll’s head told him that he didn’t remember anything from his past life. Karkat had kissed him. For like, five seconds. And he wasn’t getting up and away from him like Dave thought he would either. In fact he seemed downright comfortable. Damn near falling asleep now with his face practically in his neck, one arm looped through one of his shoulder gears while the other tugged and twisted at the hem of his sweater.

Dave huffed a laugh, “You want me to carry you back to your hive,  _princess Karkat_?”

“No. I can walk. Besides, the sun’s already risen by now. Going outside would be damn near suicide if you don’t have a solar shield.”

“You mean sunscreen?”

“No? The fuck is sunscreen?”

“Stuff you put on your skin to block the more harmful radiation from the sun.”

“Have you ever  _seen_ the Alternian sun in the last millenia?”

“Good point. Also, explanation time. The cult here was started by that purple dude over there that you’re kinda facing, yeah that guy, and his little loyal band of followers thought it’d be a great idea to summon me. Only, they misinterpreted a few things or just had some stuff plain wrong, you know how oral traditions are, yeah so they found out about a hemoanon, thought they could use whoever it was, meaning you, in a ritual to summon me and make a deal with me. Something to do with the Grand Highblood?”

“He’s old. Going senile. His descendant should just cull him already and be done with it. Not that he would be any better mind you, but at least we wouldn’t have the Grand, High off his ass, boob.”

“Explain please? I mean I know the Grand Highblood is a whimsical pain in the waste chute. I get it, but how much of a pain is he now compared to whenever the fuck?”

“For purple bloods, at least those who actively practice their religion, those who are followers of the pantheon, um, okay thing is that when we join we are meant to leave all of our quadrants behind, one way or another. Recently? Now? He is demanding that we kill them outright, in front of our desired troop.”

Okay, maybe Dave would be making a deal with him. Later though, after they’ve sufficiently made up for hurting Karkat. If they had to hurt him at all they could’ve just asked that he prick his finger or palm with a knife. That would’ve been enough, more than enough, to guide him here. Not that he really needed the guidance for more than a focal point in which his power and presence could condense into a physical form. Eh, details.

“That’s hoofbeast shit. I want to punch him in the face. Maybe break his nose. Hey, uh, wow I didn’t get your name.” Karkat sat up more to look at Dave in the eyes, which he dimmed so that it wouldn’t hurt him to do so, “You ever gonna tell me or at least give me something to call you by?”

Dave’s mouth twitched up into a smile, “Yeah. Dave.”

“I don’t know whether you made that up on the spot or not,” Cue a frown, “Okay, okay, maybe it isn’t. Anyway, can I punch the Highblood in the boob?”

He busted out laughing so hard the steam hissing from his mouth was wheezing and Dave thinks he may need some gears shoved back into place.

 

 

Around this time, up in space and in orbit around one of the other planets in the Alternian Homeworld’s system, was none other than the Battleship Condescension. She had come back to the planet on a mission, see, and whatever the Empress of Trollkind wanted, she was sure to find a way to get it. Currently, this goal was gathering up some jade bloods to be recruited to her ship’s crew.

Why might she have such a task in place for the trolls working on this project? Well, the simple matter is this. Out of the entirety of the troll race, in recent generations one percent of the population has shown to be able to carry their own grubs like mother grubs. Recent generations being hundreds of sweeps, by her count, back in the course of her reign. Around the time of the Sufferer actually, now that she remembered it. And one percent may not seem like much on paper, but with your race numbering somewhere in the trillions by her last check, that number turns out to be very, very high. On her flagship alone, there were roughly twenty confirmed trolls who were now carrying a grub, or multiple as the case may turn out to be.

She found the whole thing primitive and gross, but as a leader had to look at the benefits it could have. She also had to set up some kind of system of accountability here, and so had some of her court run some propaganda about compensation and making sure the mated pairs, or trios if both concupiscent quadrants were involved, stuck together to support one another. By the polls, the opinion on this was almost split evenly in half. Those who of course would stick around, and those who didn’t want to have any part in this. Well, she wanted to snap back, then you shouldn’t have gotten your matesprit or kismesis all, all egged up in the first place! Then there were those who were unsure, which was understandable. She was unsure about all of this. It had first started as an anomaly, no doubt something from the time of the rebellion. It had been maybe only a few trolls. Then in the century after she started receiving reports of this “affliction” and of deaths caused by a myriad of reasons, the least of which being grub death before they were even really born because of a thousand different possible complications. Others were more commonly related to the death of the the bearer and grub or grubs due to complications in the birth itself.

It had only snowballed from there, each generation the number of trolls being able to do this increasing, and with how long the highbloods lived? Well, she’d been setting up research into better grub care, but without the support of the jades, her other plans which hinged on this and their cooperation would go nowhere.

There were other things that she needed to fix, of course. Other policies to enact, laws to reform, but this was one of the bigger issues.

And perhaps the most immediate of those issues, seeing as one of these “mothers” as they were sometimes called, was now in her throne block, without his matesprit and having some sort of emotion related breakdown. She sighed, rubbing at her temples and order a couple of the blue and indigo guards to lead him out, get his matesprit and moirail, and make sure no other mother was allowed in without a quadrant's presence.

On that note, she got up and told one of the secretaries, a teal, to handle all but the most urgent of requests or disputes, barring criminals accused of things like treason, and left her throne room. Her quarters took up most of the upper middle part of the ship, that being no less than two dozen blocks not including the throne block. Her personal respite block was comprised of four connected rooms, one having been converted into a giant pool, another into her closet, and the third one having been converted into a mix of a study and a library.

It was in this room that she retreated to, as much as she’d love to just bathe for a while. There was always work to be done, and the work she was about to dive fins first into this night involved things that went so far back that by now, only she and the Highblood lived and remembered the events.

It didn’t take the Condense long to locate what she was looking for. Heading straight for the back of her study, she brushed over the ancient books and journals of trolls long dead before she pulled out one in grey leather, bound by bright red twine and having a stylized text within. Every word spoken was in that troll’s specific blood color. When multiple people were speaking at once, the text became as grey as the material the book was wrapped in. It was something she’d preserved herself, combining the accounts of a long forgotten journal and her own take on the events depicted within it.

It was the only thing she had of a troll she never met.

 

 

When the sky shuttle had touched down in front of Kanaya’s hive that evening, she’d been filled with suspense. She had thought that maybe one of her higher blooded cohort, like Vriska or Equius, had gotten a hold of one and for some reason beyond her current comprehension had decided this night would be a good one to pay a visit. Not that she would not be welcoming, of course she would be. But being several days and nights into one of the largest deserts on Alternia, and being right over top an underground spring at that, not many would dare to venture out this far without proper supplies. The nearest sign of civilization was at the desert’s edge and that was only a small hive cluster, nothing more than a handful of trolls that she’d seen.

So when out of the shuttle came an adult troll, and an adult violet dressed in a black, violet, and fuchsia uniform, Kanaya froze. Why would someone working directly for the Empress be here? Was she in trouble? Was she to be culled?

She would later admit to being on her way to panicking, gathering up non perishable food, some of her outfits, and hygiene products into a small pack and grabbing her lipstick.

Yet the knock at her door had her pause in this, just for a moment, before calling out, “One minute please!” and hoping that her voice hadn’t cracked. She quickly checked on the Matriorb, safely tucked away underneath a loose floorboard in her respiteblock, before making sure she was presentable as she walked over to open the door.

It was a nerve wracking thing and yet somehow she’d gotten through it. No, she was not in trouble. Quite the opposite in fact. The violet blood had been tasked to help her move any and all things that she would need, for she was to for the foreseeable future, be stationed on the Battleship Condescension. It was not normally done, recruiting before an adult molt, but there were so few jade bloods from the caverns that could be spared or otherwise relieved of their normal duties.

And so they of the Battleship resorted to looking for those within a sweep of their adult molt, and found only one. Kanaya. Granted she was on the far end of that, but it hadn’t mattered at the time. She met the rather low amount of requirements. She’d gone along up until she stepped over the floorboard and stopped dead in her tracks. The jade wanted to curse fate in that moment. She was not normally one to pray, but she did so in the span of a second then, pleading that the violet would let her explain why she was in possession of the mother grub egg.

The adult troll waited by the door, probably wondering why she was now removing a piece of her floor, but once she pulled out the orb he must have understood.

“My lusus was a virgin mother grub.” She said by way of an explanation. He merely nodded his head, gesturing for her to follow him to the sky shuttle. It would be some hours before they reached the ship, and he said he would give her more details on her new duties during the flight.

 

 

> _I would have never thought I’d see the day when Her Imperial Condescension would give the order to have a jade blood, multiple jade bloods, brought to the Battleship. I gave this jade, who calls herself Kanaya Maryam as her file had suggested (if she had not been I would have questioned her and then culled her if she proved to be of no worth afterward), was in possession of a Matriorb. Her file had stated that her custodian was a Virgin Mother Grub, but I could still hardly believe my eyes. Her arrival at the ship was to be a quiet affair, until she could get settled into her new position and after taking her to what will be her respiteblock (with all of her belongings carried by lowbloods), I believed that I would be back to my normal duties. Overseeing the training of new violet recruits for the Fleet, as sparse as they are some sweeps. This was not to be however. Upon waking the next evening I found a paper attached to my door which read that I would be taking a leave, and that the wimpy filter feeder of a violet just two blocks over would be taking over my position! And by order of the Condense herself! What is she thinking? What plan does she have that would see me taking up another post? It doesn’t make any sense to me, no matter how much I wrack my think pan for some logical explanation. I suppose all I can do now is wait and make the most of this vacation I’ve been given._
> 
> __Blackfin_ _
> 
>  
> 
>  

Karkat had woken up, next thing he knew, back in his empty hive in day wear as if nothing had happened the evening before. And yes, his tired mind didn’t seem up to processing exactly what had gone down, what he’d done, and what had been done to him. Gog, he had such a headache. The mutant wandered down into his kitchen, all of the lights either dimmed or off and the covers over the windows closed as per usual. He was going to find himself something to eat when there was a knock on his door.

“Oh, what the fuck? Whoever you are I will kick your ass to the metaphorical curb I-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence, hissing as he blinked against the slowly dimming light of dusk. In front of him stood a troll that had to be even shorter than he was, however she had the darkened carapace of an adult and her eyes, purple ones, gave away her caste. He blinked a few times in case he was imagining that she was smiling at him, and that she was carrying a basket on one arm and a large cooling cylinder in the other hand.

“Good evening. I’m Teamaker. Me and the rest of the Order have moved in nearby and I thought I’d come over and bring you some breakfast.”

Moved in nearby? He scanned the area passed her head. In his front lawn ring alone he could spot a half dozen temporary shelters set up and even more beyond that. Scattered about between them were carpenter droids and partially or half built hives further away by the river. Every few clusters of these shelters were fires where trolls were gathered around. Purples were prominent, but there was almost every caste below them represented as well.

He turned back to Teamaker, wary, but invited her inside to his meal block. The island in the center of the space had four stools, one of which where the tiny purple blood sat.

It was about this time that his brain registered her condition and hastily looked away hoping she hadn’t caught him staring.

She must’ve noticed, but she didn't get mad at him like he expected. Instead she laughed. Karkat was thrown for a loop.

“Why are you laughing?” He asked, shifting to move to the other side of the island and stared at the basket and cooling cylinder that Teamaker brought with her. It smelled like bread and something fruit flavored, and the cylinder had a similar fruity smell. Both were warm.

“Oh it’s nothing, really. You don’t need to worry about staring.” Her grin didn’t let up, “This’ll be my second.”

“Your second?” Karkat parroted even though he had an idea of what she was referring to.

“Aye, my second clutch. I’m assuming you’ve never seen a pregnant troll before.”

Karkat sent a deadpan expression her way, not so subtly picking up one of the pastries and biting off the end.

“Right. Well, I-”

“Not to be rude here, but why the fuck are you, the whole lot of you,” He waved his free hand around toward the front door, “Here? Yeah sure you moved and are now within sight distance of my hive. But that doesn’t mean you had to move right on fucking top of me. Shit. It definitely doesn’t mean that you, specifically, have to go and be nice to me.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Even as her tone was light her face dropped and Karkat thought his blood pusher might’ve followed suite, “How much do you remember of yesterdawn, ser’vtazara?”

Yesterdawn? Wait.

“Uh, I was asleep?” Even knowing that this had to be true, he still phrased it like a question, “Why? Was some decision made between you all at that time? Did something go down because once again, I was. Asleep. And what’s with the ser shit? You’re a highblood, I’m a goddamn mutant as you just pointed out. There’s literally no need for you to call me that.”

Teamaker’s eyes lit up and despite the… balancing that she should’ve had trouble with, she hopped down from the stool, and rounded the island to face him. She had to stand on her toes to meet him directly in the eyes, and yet despite that and her enthusiasm, Karkat had to admit she intimidated him. It was enough for him to pause in reaching for the cooling cylinder.

“We summoned a  _god_.” She hissed out in a whisper, “We summoned a  _god_ , you had helped us and…” There was a pause here, as if she was waiting for him to interject. When Karkat didn’t do so fast enough, she continued, “You are someone  _favored_. Highly so. Someone  _treasured_ by The God of Winter’s End.”


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat tipped backward and fell right on his ass. In his memory all he could tell was heat and light. He distinctly remembered the sound of gears which had lulled him back to sleep when he’d woken from a nightmare, courtesy of the shitty quality of the sopor they put in lowblood recuperacoons.

 

“God of winter’s end?” He asked tentatively, snapping himself out of his wandering thoughts and noticing Teamaker’s giggling, “Hey, don’t laugh at me!”

 

“But you are so entertaining, ser’vtazara. You got that same expression on your face that you had yesterdawn. It was like you were on sopor!” Karkat sputtered.

 

“I looked like I was high?!” Sent into another fit, the purple blood shook her head. He got back up to his feet and helped himself to some of the tea. His pan ache wasn’t so bad, after he did so and it helped that it tasted good.

 

“Sedated, not high, but yes. Our god was so awe inspiring and yet still gentle with you. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

 

“I mean... okay then, here’s to hoping he won’t get sick of me on night two, but more importantly. Did I say any embarrassing shit?”

 

“Oh? Not if you did anything embarrassing? Not anything our god had said?” After a bit of silence she gave him something of an answer, “Well, you did ask the god of endings if you could punch the Grand Highblood in the boob.”

 

“Oh my fucking- Oh shit!”

 

“Hey Karkat, so I was wondering about what we would be doing for the…. Am I interrupting something?”

 

“Not at all.” Teamaker replied at the same time Karkat squeaked out a ‘yes’ through his palms as they covered his face, “What is it that you’re here for? And without a summoning- oh it must be something to do with ser’Karkat, is it not?”

  
  


Dave grinned, though he knew his disguise as a troll was more like he was just wearing the skin of one, as disturbing as that imagery was. Sitting on the counter across from the island, he made sure to keep his gaze on Karkat, who was peeking through his fingers, as he replied.

 

“Yes. I came here to ask what he wanted to do for the wedding, aside from just wanting to see him again.”

 

“What’s a wedding? Is it a new kind of ritual that you are to impart on us through your Chosen?”

 

Karkat interrupted before he could say anything else, “Explain what the flying fuck is even a wedding, first, and also how on Alternia I agreed to one. Feel free to the thermal hull, and the other food storage is right next to it.”

 

It took a second for Dave to process all of that, “Oh you mean like a pantry. Okay then.” He hopped off the counter and got up into the mutant’s personal space, grabbing his hands and pulling them off of his face, “You don’t need to go making deals with me, though. Okay?” He asked as he let Karkat’s hands drop to his side reluctantly.

 

Karkat took a few steps back from him before he said answered, “Yeah, okay. Sure. Stop avoiding the question.”

 

“Okay so. Weddings are like. Like. Okay so you have ceremonies for your quadrants where you’re like. Making a commitment to them? Like you want to be with them forever or at least as long as you live? Like hell yeah I’ll bind myself to this other person for the rest of my life, everybody step aside. And the whole thing is usually planned out months, uh, perigees ahead because of setting and making sure everybody gets there and making sure that all the clothes of like, the soon to be married people and their cohorts are coordinated. And then there’s the vows which are all very serious, but after that there’s a damn party, usually somewhere else, and boy that thing can go on for hours. Like. People will give speeches about them and at least one of the married people like yes Brenda we know you’ve known Trisha since college goddamn it you don’t have to go into all the details and hog the stage we all know how much you want attention now g’t goin’. And then Brenda leaves only to be replaced by one of Lauren’s people and he’s already dead drunk-”   
  
“Um,” Teamaker spoke up, interrupting him mid-ramble and bringing his attention to her, “Not really? There  _ were _ quadrant ceremonies. Used to be.”   
  
“What happened?”   
  
“There’s record of a burning, way back in our history. Most of those ceremonies came from before the planet was unified into an empire and before Her Condescension’s reign.”   
  
“So what you’re telling me is you don’t know anything other than that it existed once upon a very long time ago.”   
  
“Yes. That’s correct.” Dave suppressed the urge to facepalm, looking back and forth between Karkat and Teamaker instead.

 

“Aight. So here’s what’s up. Ya’ll got four quadrants so best case scenario for you is that you’d get bound for life to three to five people. The whole wedding thing is like, binding yourself to one person and usually it’s one person only but there are those who are like hell fucking yes I’ll commit myself to you and you and you, not you Jerry you’re a creep. Anyway, it’s typically to one person, in all the quadrants, all of them, for the rest of your life. No, not like a nun. Wait, holy shit it IS like being a nun if ya know, Karkat, you’re still wanting to marry me cause you’ll be marrying a god except nun's required to, like, be completely celibate. No sexy times for them-”

 

“Woah, woah, woah back the fuck up for one goddamn second. You’re wanting me. To be bound to you. For the rest of my pathetically short lifespan. Romantically? In every quadrant? Are you shitting me right now? This has got to be some kind of joke being played by the universe.”

 

Dave was already moving before he could really think about what he was doing, ignoring how Teamaker was inching her way out the front door with the look of a fangirl whose OTP became canon. He got up in Karkat’s personal space again only to hug him when the troll had froze up in anticipation.   
  
“No it’s not some kind of joke. I do, in fact, want you in every quadrant like a deviant.” He whispered, noting with satisfaction the shiver that his words caused.

 

“Take it off.”

 

“I’m sorry?” Dave wasn’t sure what his troll was talking about, “Take what off? My shirt? My clothes? Damn, Kitkat, so forward.”

 

“I meant you’re disguise. Your troll skin. Whatever the hell it is. Take it off. It’s giving my pan a gog damned migraine.”

 

Dave let the troll shell surrounding him melt away before he even finished speaking, burned up by the immortal metallic form beneath. He wished he knew how to revert back to his human form, here in the mortal realm, without that form dying due to way too much oxygen in the atmosphere, or whatever it was that Jade had said that was stopping them. He made sure that it was only this disguise that was affected as well, since he didn’t want to hurt Karkat in any way and didn’t want to cause damage to his hive that would be a pain to reverse even with time powers.

 

“Better?” He asked even though he heard the troll sigh in relief, “You know, I’m basically naked right now.”

 

“Dave-”

 

“Yeah suga’?”

 

“You’re made. Of metal.”

 

“Doesn’t change that I am without clothes, spicy cinnamon roll.”

 

“Yeah but it shouldn’t matter right, you don’t have, um...you don’t...actually...how would that even, wait, no, don’t answer that please oh fuck. Just cull me now.”

 

Dave waggled his eyebrows, grinning like a loon. He pulled back a bit while still keeping his arms around Karkat so that he could see the troll’s face. His ears were angled down and his expression was twisted with embarrassment, however there wasn’t a blush to be seen. Hm.

 

“As a matter of fact I do. You wanna see?” There it is! It was faint but it was there.

 

“Ffffuck you.”

 

“Yes please.”

 

Karkat made an aggravated buzz at the back of his throat, ears lifting so they were parallel with the ground now, “Why even choose me? There’s plenty of other trolls, plenty of highbloods even who’d throw themselves at your feet. The only thing “special” about me is that I’m some kind of genetic mistake of nature a-”

 

Dave had cut him off with a kiss.

 

It didn’t last long, only a couple seconds, but it was enough, apparently, to stop that train of thought.

 

“Does that answer your question?”

 

“N-no!” Karkat bit out only to be met with one arm moving down to his waist as Dave pulled him into a dip kiss.

 

“What about that?” Was the only thing Dave asked, eyes dimmer, only half lit from the bottom.

 

“Dave!”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Explain. Now. Why am I having any feelings for you at this point whatsoever? I met you yesterday! Fuck! I'll even take it as you influencing me with your godly powers so long as I know what's happening to me!”

 

“Karkat-”

 

“PLEASE.”

 

Dave let out a sigh, tugging him toward the living room, er, entertainment block, and sitting them both down on the couch. He should get some help to renovate this place some. At least to make everything look new. Shaking that thought away for the time being, he set himself up to answer as best he could.

 

“Certain souls tend to reincarnate more often than others. Yours is one that has only ever done this twice during like, the past four thousand sweeps. It used to be more often, but, well, I don’t know why it happened. I was your kismesis, once, a long, long time ago. And then I was your moirail. And then your auspistice but that one kept flipping between ash and pale, somehow, but it was fun to guess which one we’d be at any given point in time. You were a real spitfire back then for sure, always hitting others hate buttons. And then for a few lifetimes I was your matesprit, or vacillated with you between red and black.”

 

He tactfully didn’t mention the quadrant blurring. He didn’t mention the singular instance of quadrant mixing, two or three at any given time, but mostly red and pale.

 

“So...what? This is all because I’m some past quadrant mate of yours and you only...you only have feelings for me and only think that I’m “hot” because of who I  _ used to be _ ?”

 

Dave backpedaled, sensing Karkat getting upset and angry and attempting to fix that, “You never remembered anything, one life to the next. I went with what I had and settled for whatever I could have with you. I knew you would be different each time, though over the sweeps I’ve noticed that souls tend to stick to trends ah, no that’s not helping is it? I’m sorry. I. Truth is I’ve fallen for you each and every time, just as you were then, and just as you are now. When you slowed down in the whole reincarnation cycle I thought….I was scared. It’s been a thousand sweeps, since you reincarnated last and nine hundred the time before that. When I found out you were back in the mortal realm again I did  _ everything _ I could to protect you and keep you safe.”

 

Karkat was silent now, eyes blown wide and ears dropping down in some mix of emotions that Dave couldn’t really decipher through the steam clouding his sight, “I don’t know if I’d be able to handle losing you again, if it’s going to be another thousand sweeps, or two thousand, or more, or, or never. I don’t know how reincarnation affects the soul, that’s my… that’s the god of heart’s job. Guess you were right. It could be godly influence and manipulation and shit. I’ll back off if that’s what you want.”

 

It was a while before Karkat spoke again, leaning into Dave’s side instead of doing something a more sensible mortal would do, “I’m sorry.” His voice cracked a little as he said that but Dave didn’t care enough to say anything about it.

 

“What could you possibly have done to be sorry for?” He asked, steam making his own voice crackle and hiss more than usual.

 

“Accused you of something before I knew the whole story?” It came out as more of a question, like Karkat expected him to already know what he thought he’d done wrong.

 

“Didn’t do anything that any other mortal or god would do, Karkles. Nothing there to forgive.”

 

“Can I… Can we hold this wedding idea thing off for a while?” He wasn’t entirely sold on the idea but it did sound nice. And if he decided later on he didn’t want too at all then, well, maybe they could figure something else out, if they ever got that far.

 

“You mean even longer than it usually is?” Dave was glad to hear Karkat give a snicker, at that even though he undoubtedly didn’t understand the full context.

 

“Yeah. Maybe just, until my eyes completely turn or after my adult molt or something.”

 

“Of course we can do that. Might have to let those other trolls know before they jump the gun. Teamaker is probably gossiping about us right now as it is.”

 

“And what do you think she’s saying about us?” Was it Dave’s imagination or did Karkat somehow scoot even closer and wrap an arm around him?

 

Ding!   
  
Oh gods.

 

Ding! Ding! Ding!

  
  


Damn it! Who would be trolling him now? Karkat grumbled as he inched away from Dave on the couch in order to glare at the husktop he’d left sitting on the table earlier when he’d just woken up. He picked it up, set it in his lap, and opened it with maybe more force than necessary. Might as well see who it was that ruined the mood and stopped him from maybe probably kissing a god. Again.

 

AG: Soooooooo, did you hear the news yet?

AG: Karkat?

AG: Vantas, I see that you’re online stop ignoring me, this is important shit.

AG: I figured since it’s about your not-moirail you’d want to 8e kept informed.

AG: 8ut apparently you don’t care quite as much as we all thought.

AG: Guess I’m going to have to go tell the rest of the cohort that you were toooooooo 8usy, to hear a8out what happened to Miss Fussy fangs.

AG: 8ut seriously, this is some fucked up shit.

AG: Nevermind, Terezi is trolling me and for soooooooome reason I have to 8e the one to tell you this.

AG: Well, I know the reason 8ut this is so lame. >::::(

CG: SERKET WHAT IS GOING ON?

CG: WHAT HAPPENED TO KANAYA?

AG: Oh gr8, you’re finally here.

AG: Took you long enough.

AG: You know what I may just decide to let Terezi tell you since she’s soooooooo insistent.

CG: VRISKA, I WON’T SAY THIS AGAIN. TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON WITH KANAYA. IS SHE INJURED? SICK? DID HER HIVE GET RANSACKED OR BLOWN UP OR SOMETHING?

AG: Oh no, it’s waaaaaaaay worse.

AG: I had to hear it from Eridan of all trolls and I’m fairly sure he’s 8een whining to the others and spreading it around like gossip since then.

CG: serket i will have you know that if you do not stop stalling and get to the fucking point i will come over there and destroy all of your magic eight balls

AG: What the hell, Strider?!

AG: When did you get here?

AG: I thought I told you we had this thing handled! >::::(

CG: well apparently not since youre making him upset and anxious   
CG: out with it

CG: HOW THE *FUCK* DO YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?!   
AG: Fine, fine.

AG: Kanaya got conscripted early.

CG: ...SHIT.

CG: WHY WOULD SHE BE CONSCRIPTED EARLY?

CG: I THOUGHT ALL JADES WENT TO THE CAVERNS!

AG: That’s what we were all thinking, Vantas.

CG: SERIOUSLY THOUGH, HOW DO YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?

AG: May8e you should ask Strider.

CG: oh no vriska you said you were handling this so lets see you handle it

AG: Fuck you!

CG: sorry no can do im taken

AG: Aaaaaaaaugh!!!!!!!!

AG: We know each other from like, a sweep or two 8ack okay?

AG: We talked, I promised to do something, and then he left.

CG: AND YOU DIDN’T GO AROUND BRAGGING ABOUT IT?

CG: WOW, I’M ALMOST PROUD.

 

TA: hey a22hole, you want two talk two KN?

TA: ii can set up a secure network for you.

CG: THANK YOU, SOLLUX. YES, I DO WANT TO TALK TO HER, IF YOU WOULD.

TA: wow, look at you beiing all poliite.

TA: diid VK get on your nerves that much?

CG: OH, HA HA, VERY FUNNY. NOT REALLY IN THE MOOD.

TA: ii get iit. settiing iit up now.

 

CG: WHATEVER YOU STILL HAVE TO SAY CAN BE REROUTED THROUGH TEREZI OR SOMEONE ELSE WILLING TO PLAY MESSENGER TROLL.

AG: Fiiiiiiiine. Go 8leed pale for your totaaaaaaaally not moirail.

 

GA: Karkat, It Is Good To Hear From You

GA: I Am Glad To Know You Are Alright

GA: Or At The Least Well Enough To Be Trolling Me

GA: You Are   
GA: Not Injured Sick Or Otherwise To Be Culled

GA: I Am Assuming So At Least

CG: KANAYA, YOU’RE IN SPACE NOW? ON THE GODS DAMNED BATTLESHIP CONDESCENSION?

CG: I’M FINE BY THE WAY. ALTHOUGH SOMETHING CAME UP YESTERDAWN AND A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT I NEED TO TELL YOU AFTER I KNOW WHAT YOUR SITUATION IS.

GA: Yes That Is Correct

GA: And I Will Make A Note In My Think Pan To Remind You Of That

GA: I Suppose I Should Start By Addressing The Reason Why I Was Brought Aboard The Ship And Conscripted At Least A Sweep Before My Molt If Not Longer

GA: There are Mother Trolls On The Ship

GA: At Least Two Score By Last Count

GA: Myself Along With Three Jade Bloods Older Than Me Having Already Become Adults And Were In The Caverns By The Time The Word Got Out That They Were Needed

GA: And As Far As I Was Made Aware It Will Only Ever Be Myself And These Three Working Together For The Foreseeable Future

GA: The Rest Of The Battleship It Seems Did Not Know Exactly How To Handle Mothers Being On Board And So The Condense Thought To Have Us Jades Be Brought On

GA: To Act As Advisors And Medicullers

GA: So That The Mothers Do Not Die Due To Laying Complications Or Other Preventable Causes

CG: WOW.

CG: DID YOU…?

CG: DID YOU MEET THE EMPRESS? OR WERE YOU JUST TAKEN STRAIGHT TO YOUR RESPITEBLOCK AND WORK STATION WHEN YOU ARRIVED?

CG: DID YOU RUN INTO ANY TROUBLE WITH THE OTHER TROLLS THERE YET OR HAVE THEY ALL JUST HUNG BACK?

GA: As A Matter Of Fact I Did Meet The Empress

GA: She Was

GA: Different Shall We Say

GA: Than What We Would All Have Expected Of Her

GA: She Was Accommodating And Dare I Say Nice

GA: Or Perhaps Nice Is Not The Correct Term To Use Here

GA: Amiable Or Lenient Might Be Best

GA: I Would Think Laid Back Even

GA: She Was Particularly Invested In What We Would All Need To Be Comfortable Here And Told Her Staff In Front Of Us That Whatever We Should Ask For Was To Be Provided To Us

GA: Especially So In The Event That Such A Thing Is Needed For Our Work With The Mother Trolls But Also With Our Own Person Luxuries And Comforts

CG: KANAYA.

CG: WHAT THE FUCK?

GA: That Would Surmise My Thoughts On The Matter As Well

GA: Now What Sort Of Predicament Have You Stumbled Horns First Into This Time

CG: YOU SAY THAT LIKE THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURANCE, KANAYA.

GA: I Am Sorry Is It Not

CG: YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK IT.

CG: YESTERDAWN I HAD BEEN OUT TO GET SOME THINGS LAST MINUTE AND WAS ATTACKED AND WRIGGLERNAPPED. I COULD REALLY ONLY ASSUME THEY WERE ALL HIGHBLOODS TEAL OR HIGHER. ANYWAY. TURNS OUT THEY WERE ONE OF THE SECTS OR CULTS OR WHATEVER THAT THE PURPLE BLOODS ARE KNOWN FOR WORSHIPPING. YOU KNOW. THE BEINGS FROM BEYOND. THE INTERDIMENSIONAL HORRORS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE HORRIFYING?

CG: WELL I GOT TAKEN BECAUSE THEY WERE SUMMONING ONE OF THESE BEINGS AND LONG STORY SHORT THEY SUCCEEDED AND I GOT CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. OH. AND THE GOD THEY SUMMONED APPARENTLY LIKES ME FOR SOME REASON.

GA: Sorry What

GA: Do You Mean To Say That You Have Caught The Attention Of A Powerful Being From Beyond The Mortal Plane Of Existence After Your Were Wrigglernapped

GA: What Role Did You Even Play In The Summoning

GA: What Did This Sect Even Summon Might I Add

CG: SOME GOD OF TIME AND DEATH.

CG: I THINK I WAS SOME SORT OF SACRIFICE. WHICH BACKFIRED ON THEM BECAUSE I'M CLEARLY STILL ALIVE.

CG: AND AGAIN. THE BEING THEY SUMMONED LIKES ME FOR SOME REASON. I STILL DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE DEAL WAS BUT I THINK IT WAS TO GET THE CULT OFF MY BACK.

GA: The God

GA: Of Death

CG: HEY. YOU'RE THE ONE CURRENTLY ON THE SAME SHIP AS THE EMPRESS. DON’T JUDGE.

GA: I Can Assure You I Was Doing Nothing Of The Sort

CG: I’LL JUST SAY I BELIEVE YOU AND MOVE ON. DO YOU HAVE THE MATRIORB WITH YOU? NO, WAIT OF COURSE YOU DO.

GA: I Do Indeed Have It In My Possession

GA: Now I Am Sorry To Cut This Short But A Mother Is At My Station And In Need Of Assistance.

GA: I Will Be Sure To Troll You And The Rest Of The Cohort When I Have The Time

CG: ALRIGHT. STAY SAFE. I’LL LET THE OTHERS KNOW YOU’RE DOING OKAY AND THAT WE PROBABLY DON’T NEED THE SECURE NETWORKS WITH YOU IN CHATS OR MEMOS.

GA: I Will Make It A Priority

GA: As For The Networks I Am Sure We Will Not Need It Unless Conversing About More Sensitive Topics InCohort Matters Or Unless I Have Reason To Believe Someone Is Spying On Me

GA: Goodnight and Goodbye Karkat

CG: WOW. USING AN OLD FASHIONED GOODBYE? GUESS I HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH IT.

CG: GOODNIGHT AND GOODBYE, KANAYA.

  
  


Kanaya Maryam closed her husktop shut as she spun her chair around to face the doorway where the troll, a man, by the looks of it, stood in the doorway. He was an olive too, if the color of his eyes and clothing had anything to say about it.

 

“How may I help you?” The man hesitantly stepped inside. Kanaya had holed herself up in her assigned station, the location conveniently next to her respiteblock, after being given a brief tour that would resume the following evening. If she was to assume however, her work hours would have a set schedule yet she would be required to be on call should any of the other three Jades need any assistance. She also would hazard a guess that this would work the same way for them as well if she was in need of anything. For now, however, she had something immediately in front of her to tend to.

 

Though her question was voiced in as quiet and gentle a manner as she could muster up, the olive still gave off nervousness and embarrassment. Kanaya tried not to react to it at all, waiting patiently for the man to speak.

 

“I was wondering if you could maybe check if my grub will be healthy, mar’vtamara. I have brought a list of things I have been doing, and wanted to see, also, if there is anything that should be changed.”

 

Ah, alright. She didn’t think she was much at all qualified for any of this but she would give it her best shot either way.

 

“Alright. You can set the list down on the desk there, thank you. If you come back in a night or two we can go over together any changes I’d recommend,” She stood and walked over to the man and gestured for him to sit on the couch and helped him down. Crouching down, she found she was working primarily on impulse and instinct, yet it didn’t feel at all wrong to be doing so.

 

“What is your name, ser’vtamra?” She asked while keeping her gaze on his stomach. Or perhaps the more accurate term would be his gene bladder. It was huge and round either way.

 

“I am the Ramskull, mar’vtamara. Please, you do not need to call me that, my work is in the greenhive.”

 

Kanaya hummed, “That you may be but your work is important, and besides that you are growing new life within you. May I touch your stomach?”

 

“Of course you may, mar’ngylkrora.”

 

He’d called her healer.

 

“Please, ser’Ramskull, call me Kanaya.”

 

She placed her palms flat against his stomach, feeling a surge of warmth and a rush of energy flow through her as if it were a wind blowing at her back. She could sense the formation of the beings, three, within him. The jade could tell that everything was functioning as it should, even if she couldn’t tell any specifics. Her hands felt warm as the seconds ticked by but the information she was getting made it seem worth it. He was so huge because of there being multiples, then, and not that he was close to laying.

 

“Mar’Kanaya?” The warmth fled from her hands and her head at his call. Kanaya pulled away and stood up, absently rubbing her hands together to get them to warm up again. There wasn’t much that she could do for her head right now, however.

 

“Your grubs are perfectly healthy, ser’Ramskull.” His eyes widened at her words.

 

“You mean. There’s more than one in there?”

 

“Yes. There are three.”

 

“Thank you for your time. I- I must go see my matesprit. Two nights, right? Till I see you again?”

 

“Yes ser’Ramskull. Barring extenuating circumstances of course. Should that be the case I will deliver the papers to you personally when I am next able to and we can either talk then or when you have the time to spare.”

 

“I will do that, then. Thank you, mar’ngylkrora Kanaya.”

 

After Ramskull left her station, Kanaya sat back in her desk chair with a heavy sigh. She was cold and tired. Yet she hadn’t done anything that required exertion that she knew of. She supposed she could blame it on the move to the ship. Wasn’t that emotionally taxing in some way? Moving to a new place? Maybe she should send a quick message again to Karkat to ask, as he’d know these kinds of tropes that so often appeared in both of their collections of novels. At least this one was a more general one that often appeared in reality.

 

Less so could be said for that fantastic supernatural survival series that had the most well written romance subplot that she’d ever read. Especially for the main genre and plot. Who would ever actually get the chance to fight a monster for the hand of their love interest? Who would ever actually be trapped in a spaceship with only a few others and limited resources for sweeps and wax red for someone they had for all intents and purposes just recently met?

 

No, if the feeling and sensation persisted, she would, but not before then. She didn’t want to end up overreacting or making mention of a worry over a thing that, in the end, was just a one time occurance.

 

At least, she hoped this was a one time occurance.

 

Swivelling her chair around, Kanaya picked up the papers that the mother had left her. There weren’t that many and they were neat in a way that must have been typed. Several times over.

 

Dieet

Wee havee beeeen moniteerin9 my food, speecifically thee kinds of foods I havee, as much as possiblee 9iveen that theeree is only so much wee can afford with our incomees. It has beeeen beetteer, with thee Eempeereess’s moree reeceent deecreeees, howeeveer. I’vee also beeeen eeatin9 a lot reeceently which wouldn’t normally bee a probleem or conceern sincee I know I am 9rowin9 anotheer beeing insidee of mee (as scary as thee thou9ht is someetimees), it is puttin9 a financial strain on us eeveen with thee addition to both of our wagees. If it's simply a matteer of finding a way of makin9 this work without any chan9ees to food neeceessary, wee would likee to bee awaree. Wee havee alreeady trieed lookin9 throu9h somee reecords and listeenin9 to thee otheer motheers on board but your advicee would bee appreeciateed.

 

Beeeef9rub (and variations of it)

Bileeslaw

Cluckbeeast (and ova)

Scalding leeaf fluid (wee weeree unsuree if scaldin9 beean fluid would bee harmful)

9rubloaf and tubeer pastee

Fart nibleets

Marchbu9s

9rubcakees and 9rubleettees

 

Eexeercisee

Whilee I havee beeeen up and around and movin9 still, as of latee wheeneeveer theeree is someethin9 heeavy to lift, for eexample, my mateesprit and somee otheers of my cohort takee oveer thee task for theemseelvees. I havee takeen to walkin9 moree insteead. Is it finee to lift somee thin9s? Should I stop eexeercisin9 all togeetheer at somee point?

 

Meddicinee

Is theeree anythin9 I should avoid? Anythin9 that is safee to takee? I know theeree isn’t much in the way of meedicinee for lowbloods on our homeeworld, most of us aree leeft to feend for ourseelves, survival of thee fiteest, yeet up heeree, it is moree reeadily available eeveen to us.

 

Otheer   
I havee beeeen talkin9 with thee otheer motheers on board, theeree aree tweenty onee of us includin9 myseelf, and I noticee that eeveen thou9h theeree aree moree of us now than eeveer, theeree is still not that much information, hardly any, on how to heelp us eeasee all of theesee worriees and conceerns. If you and thee otheer jadees, as I would not daree to ask you to do this task by yourseelf, could heelp to put to9eetheer someethin9 for us, all of us and thosee who will find theemseelves to bee motheers in thee futuree would all bee veery 9rateeful.

 

Kanaya let out a breath of air that was something between a huff and a sigh.

 

Looks like she was going to be talking to Eridan and Vriska about what history they can dig up that might help. If there was anything at all after the Burning. Maybe if she asked she could get into whatever the other jades down in the caverns of Alternia had on them. Records or anything they may have been able to somehow be preserved for well over a thousand sweeps, or whatever knowledge that has been gained in the sweeps since mother trolls started to appear.

  
  


Terezi Pyrope hissed in exasperation. She’d Seen what had happened to Karkat. She’d Seen what would happened to Kanaya. Vriska, at her request, was trying to do something about the position Kanaya was now in at her request while Terezi herself would handle Karkat. It helped that he was still on Alternia. It helped that she knew he was still alive. It did not help, however, that she hadn’t seen more than glimpses of the summoning and Karkat’s blood color being exposed.

 

For all she knew, they could have him held hostage or blackmailed him to get whatever it is they might want out of him. The knowledge that Dave was watching over him more actively did little to soothe her fraying nerves.

 

[We will rend them into pieces, and I will roast them should you give the word, Little Pyre.]

 

“Yeah. I’m pissed that I don’t have all the facts. Once I do, and I talk to Karkat, then we’ll dole out justice.”

 

Terezi and her lusus were coming up on Karkat’s hive now, actually, and from the cover of the treeline she could see just how much had changed over the couple of nights she’d been travelling. There were dozens of tents throughout the lake and riverside that Karkat’s hive was built up against while hives were being constructed a ways downriver. Purple blooded trolls were the largest in number, milling about or completing a task. While there were other castes, trolls of every color between indigo and rust, there was no single caste that overwhelmed the stench of grape that assaulted her nose.

 

“Alright Pyralspite, let’s get this over with.”

 

She marched her way out of the forest’s edge and down into the valley that Karkat lived in. Her nose picked up many scents ahead, and as she ventured closer with Pyralspite at her side, she knew she was garnering looks. She only cared about it when she drew nearer to Karkat’s hive and some of the cultists blocked her way. Despite them being taller and older than her on top of being of higher castes, Terezi was unafraid of the two that stood between her and her friend.

 

Pyralspite rose up on her hind legs and snarled at them.

 

Time to introduce herself.

 

“I am Terezi Pyrope, and you are standing in the way of me reaching a shield brother of my cohort. Step aside.”


End file.
